Looking Ahead At Liverpool’s Pre-Season Tour Of Asia | OneFootball

After a superb season for the Reds, having won the Premier League at a canter, the squad will enjoy a well-deserved rest before pre-season starts, where they will head to Asia for a couple of interesting matches.

First up is against fellow European heavy-hitters AC Milan in Hong Kong, before they play the J1 League club, Yokohama F Marinos in Japan.

By this point, they could also be joined by a full arsenal of signings which would be intriguing – especially if their current hot-streak is anything to go by of signing players early, such as Jeremie Frimpong and possibly Florian Wirtz.

Inevitably, manager Arne Slot will want to rotate his starting lineup, though, both teams are there for the taking you would have thought.

How Could Slot Set Up His Team?

It is fair to say that Slot has put his own stamp on Liverpool, slightly tweaking Jurgen Klopp’s ‘Geggenpressing’ tactics to make it slightly more balanced and pressing in phases which has worked wonders.

While Klopp preferred a 4-1-2-3 system, Slot has slightly tweaked it to a 4-2-3-1 using a double pivot with Alexis Mac Alllister and Ryan Graveberch who has had an exceptionally good breakthrough season under his compatriot.



Dominik Szoboszlai also kicked on from his encouraging first season and made that number 10 role his own. Obviously Mohamed Salah has had another fantastic campaign and is likely to be raring to go in what is likely to be a fresh and exciting frontline for him to play in.

With Wirtz likely to come in on the other side from Salah and a new number nine – both Viktor Gyokeres and Benjamin Sesko are understood to be of interest – we may see some brilliant new talents on show in Asia.

How Could Players Spend Their Downtime?

While there likely won’t be much chance for players to really unwind between matches, they will invariably get a few hours off. Both Japan and Hong Kong are really cool places with lots of things to do, though you would imagine there won’t be much time for players to enjoy them properly.

Asia is also known for its casinos and while some players do enjoy an occasional flutter, they could play from the comfort of their hotel rooms and they may enjoy playing online blackjack for real money from their smartphones.

Invariably, players will likely be in the gym and doing training sessions most of the time and meeting fans to help expand the brand, so all in all, there may not be a lot of chance to make the most of the places they’re in.

Matches To Then Come Thick And Fast

Not long after they get back from Asia, Liverpool will then play in the Community Shield against Crystal Palace, who won the FA Cup, while the new season will kick off again shortly after.

It will also be curious to see if Slot is happy with his squad by then, based on how the club performs in Asia and we could well see more arrivals – and even departures from Anfield as well.